Fes or Fez is the third largest city in Morocco —after Casablanca and Rabat— with a population of just over one million. It is the capital of the Fès-Boulemane region.
Fes, the former capital, is one of the country’s four “imperial cities,” the others being Rabat, Marrakech and Meknes. It comprises three distinct parts, Fes el Bali (the old, walled city), Fes-Jdid new Fes, home of the Mellah and the Ville Nouvelle the French-created, newest section of Fes .
Fes el Bali is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its medina, the larger of the two medinas of Fes, is believed to be the world’s largest contiguous car-free urban area. The University of Al-Karaouine, founded in AD 859, is the oldest continuously functioning university in the world.